I am pleased to express my government’s support for the 2018-2019 Global Appeal of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and am honored to pledge an initial $125 million towards this appeal.

We are working to immediately address the human rights and humanitarian crisis in Rakhine State, strengthen Burma’s transition to democracy, expand economic opportunity, improve health and resilience of vulnerable populations, further national reconciliation, empower local communities and civil society, and strengthen respect for and protection of human rights and religious freedom.

“I am announcing today that the United States will provide an additional $47 million in humanitarian assistance for refugees, bringing the United States response to the Rakhine State crisis in Myanmar and Bangladesh to more than $87 million since August of this year, and total humanitarian assistance for displaced people in and from this region to nearly $151 million since October of 2016.”